Dawn found Axel still hidden in the hollow between tree roots, exhausted but alive. His Qi reserves were depleted, his body ached from the desperate flight, and he had no idea if Wei Chen had survived or if the rogue cultivator was hunting him even now.
But as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, Axel felt something unexpected—a deep, resonant pulse from his dantian. Not the normal circulation of Qi, but something more fundamental, more profound.
He closed his eyes and sank into meditation, examining the sensation more closely. The energy in his dantian had changed during the night. Where before it had been a reservoir of power, now it felt more like a living thing—pulsing, breathing, responding to his awareness with something approaching consciousness.
This was it. This was the threshold of Stage 3 Peak Qi Gathering.
The Qi pulse synchronized with his heartbeat, creating a rhythm that seemed to resonate with the world around him. Axel could feel the life force in the trees, the energy flowing through the earth, the vitality of insects and small animals nearby. Everything was connected, all part of the same fundamental flow.
According to the fragmentary knowledge from his inherited memories, this was the sign of imminent breakthrough—when a cultivator's personal energy began to harmonize with the ambient Qi of the world, creating resonance rather than just extraction.
But breakthrough couldn't happen now, not while he was alone in the forest with no protection and potentially being hunted. He needed to stabilize at this level, hold the threshold without crossing it, until he reached safety.
Easier said than done. The Qi in his dantian wanted to expand, wanted to transform, pushing against its current limitations with increasing pressure. Holding it back required constant effort, like trying to prevent a dam from bursting through sheer willpower.
Axel spent the morning cultivating carefully, drawing in just enough ambient Qi to replenish what he'd used but not so much that it would trigger the breakthrough. It was a delicate balance, requiring absolute focus and precise control.
By midday, he felt stable enough to move. He emerged from his hiding spot cautiously, extending his Qi senses to detect any nearby threats. The forest seemed normal—no sign of the rogue cultivator, no indication that he was being actively hunted.
But no sign of Wei Chen either.
Axel weighed his options. He could wait here, hoping Wei Chen would find him. He could try to backtrack to their agreed-upon rendezvous point, a small waterfall Wei Chen had mentioned as a landmark. Or he could continue east alone, trusting that his companion had survived and would either catch up or make his own way to the Azure Sky Sect.
Before he could decide, he sensed it—a familiar Qi signature approaching from the south. Wei Chen, moving carefully, clearly searching.
Axel revealed himself with a carefully controlled pulse of Qi, announcing his presence without broadcasting it to every cultivator in the area. Wei Chen changed direction immediately, covering the distance between them with visible relief.
"You're alive," Wei Chen said when he arrived, and the genuine happiness in his voice surprised Axel. "I wasn't sure. That was... that was possibly the craziest thing I've ever done, and I once tried to steal spirit pills from an elder's private garden."
"Did we save them? The caravan?"
"According to the tracks I found this morning, yes. They escaped while the rogue was dealing with the rockslide. He probably spent all night trying to figure out if it was a deliberate attack or just incredibly inconvenient natural disaster." Wei Chen shook his head in disbelief. "We shouldn't have survived that. By every reasonable calculation, we should be dead."
"But we're not."
"But we're not," Wei Chen agreed. Then his expression became more serious. "I need to tell you something. When I was running last night, I had time to think. About what we did, why we did it, what it means. And I realized something—I've been playing it safe for months, hiding in the forest, avoiding risks, just trying to survive. But that's not cultivation. That's not even really living."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying thank you," Wei Chen said simply. "You reminded me that there are things worth taking risks for. That power without purpose is just... empty." He paused, seeming to search for words. "When I was expelled from my sect, I told myself I'd find another path, become stronger on my own terms. But really I was just hiding, justifying cowardice as prudence. Last night, for the first time in months, I felt like I was actually moving forward instead of just surviving."
Axel didn't know what to say to that, so he simply nodded. The shared experience had created a bond between them, something stronger than the casual alliance they'd started with.
"We should keep moving," Axel said finally. "Still have six days of travel, and that rogue is probably suspicious now even if he doesn't know exactly what happened."
They set out immediately, moving faster than before despite their exhaustion. The brush with death had sharpened their awareness, made them more cautious and more efficient simultaneously.
As they traveled, Axel continued working on stabilizing his cultivation at the threshold of breakthrough. The pulse in his dantian had grown stronger, more insistent, but he'd learned to regulate it through constant circulation and careful breathing techniques.
Wei Chen noticed his struggle. "You're approaching breakthrough, aren't you? Stage 3 Peak?"
"Close. Very close. But I can't let it happen until we reach the sect."
"Smart. Breakthrough tribulations attract attention—spiritual pressure, energy fluctuations, sometimes even physical manifestations. Not something you want to deal with in the wilderness." Wei Chen considered. "Though if you can hold the threshold without actually crossing it, that's impressive control. Most cultivators either breakthrough immediately or risk damaging their foundation by suppressing it too long."
"How long is too long?"
"Depends on the individual and the specific breakthrough. For Stage 3 to 4? You've probably got a week, maybe two before suppression becomes dangerous."
Two weeks. They'd reach the Azure Sky Sect in six days, which left comfortable margin. Assuming nothing went wrong.
Of course, something went wrong.
On their third day of travel after the rockslide incident, they encountered a group of rogue cultivators—five of them, all Stage 3 or 4, blocking the narrow mountain pass that represented their best route forward.
"Toll," the leader said, a scarred woman with Stage 4 Late cultivation. "Twenty spirit stones each to pass, or turn back and find another way."
Spirit stones. Condensed Qi crystals that served as currency in the cultivation world. Axel had none. Wei Chen probably had some, but paying would mark them as targets—if they had stones to give, they had stones to steal.
"We don't have twenty stones," Wei Chen said carefully. "But we're willing to negotiate."
The leader smiled, and it wasn't friendly. "Then you have a problem. Because the only other payment we accept is... well, let's call it involuntary cultivation donation."
Stealing cultivation. The same thing the dangerous rogue they'd just avoided was known for. Apparently it was a more common practice than Axel had hoped.
"There are five of you and two of us," Wei Chen continued, still maintaining a diplomatic tone. "But we're both capable fighters, and you've probably noticed my friend here is approaching breakthrough. Fighting us would cost you casualties even if you won. Surely we can reach an arrangement that doesn't involve bloodshed?"
The rogue leader considered this, her eyes calculating. Axel could almost see her weighing the costs and benefits—certain passage toll versus potential casualties in combat versus the value of stealing cultivation from two moderately talented practitioners.
Then her eyes fixed on Axel with predatory focus. "Approaching breakthrough, you said? That makes him valuable. The energy of someone at breakthrough threshold... that's concentrated, pure, perfect for cultivation theft."
Axel felt the other four rogues shift position, surrounding them. This was about to get violent.
He exchanged a glance with Wei Chen, seeing the same realization in his companion's eyes. They were outnumbered, outpositioned, and while Axel might be stronger than any individual rogue, together the five represented overwhelming force.
But Axel had an advantage they didn't know about—the flowing energy technique he'd developed, refined over days of practice. And Wei Chen was better at combat than his diplomatic approach suggested.
"Last chance," the rogue leader said. "Submit willingly and we'll only take half your cultivation. Resist and we take everything."
"Counter-offer," Axel replied, and channeled his Qi into flowing loops through both arms and legs simultaneously. "You let us pass, and you keep your lives."
The leader laughed. "Big words for—"
She didn't finish the sentence because Axel moved.
The flowing energy technique amplified his speed to levels that shocked even him. One moment he was standing still, the next he was in front of the leader, his glowing fist connecting with her stomach before she could react.
The rogue leader flew backward, crashing into two of her companions and sending all three tumbling down the mountainside.
Wei Chen took advantage of the chaos, his own technique—that compressed air Qi—creating a blast that knocked another rogue off balance. The fifth tried to circle behind Axel but was met with a Qi Strike that sent him reeling.
The fight lasted less than thirty seconds. When it was over, three rogues were tumbling down the mountain, one was unconscious, and the fifth was running away at full speed, having decided discretion was the better part of valor.
Axel stood panting, his Qi reserves dangerously depleted from using multiple flowing energy loops simultaneously. The technique was devastatingly effective but catastrophically expensive in terms of energy consumption.
Wei Chen looked at him with wide eyes. "What the hell was that? You moved like a Stage 5 cultivator just now."
"Technique I've been working on," Axel managed between breaths. "Circulating Qi in loops to amplify power. Effective but exhausting."
"Effective is an understatement. You took out a Stage 4 Late cultivator in one hit."
They didn't linger. Other rogues might have heard the fight, and Axel was in no condition for another battle. They hurried through the pass and continued east, not stopping until they'd put several li between themselves and the ambush site.
That evening, as they made camp in a defensible position, Wei Chen raised a point that had been bothering Axel as well.
"You realize people are going to notice, right? That technique of yours—it's not standard, it's not from any sect manual I've ever seen, and it's far more effective than it should be for your cultivation level. When you demonstrate it during the examination..."
"I'll attract attention," Axel finished. "Possibly dangerous attention."
"Definitely dangerous attention," Wei Chen corrected. "Sects guard their powerful techniques jealously. If they think you've stolen secret methods, or if they think you've independently developed something valuable, you'll become a target. Some will want to recruit you. Others will want to eliminate you as a potential rival. Most will just be curious, which is its own kind of danger."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Don't demonstrate your full power during the examination. Show enough talent to be accepted, but not enough to be threatening. Save the truly impressive techniques for when you're established, when you have allies and protection, when revealing them won't make you vulnerable."
It was sound advice, the kind of political calculation that Axel's Earth-trained mind understood but his cultivator's pride resisted. The flowing energy technique represented a genuine breakthrough, a fundamental insight into how Qi circulation could amplify power. Hiding it felt wrong, like refusing to use your best tool when it mattered most.
But Wei Chen was right about the risks. Drawing too much attention before he had the strength or backing to handle it would be suicidal.
"I'll be careful," Axel promised. "Enough talent to be impressive, not enough to be threatening."
"That's the balance," Wei Chen agreed. "Welcome to sect politics—where being too weak gets you killed, but being too strong gets you killed faster."
The remaining days of travel passed without major incident. They avoided other travelers when possible, maintained a low profile when avoidance was impossible, and made steady progress toward their destination.
On the sixth day, they finally saw it—Azure Peak Mountain rising in the distance, its summit wreathed in clouds that glowed with a faint blue light. Spiritual energy was so concentrated around the peak that it was visible even from miles away, a beacon of power that drew cultivators from across the region.
At the base of the mountain, sprawling across the valley floor, was the Azure Sky Sect. Even from this distance, Axel could see the massive formations that protected it—shimmering barriers of Qi that separated the sect from the outside world, allowing controlled entry and exit while preventing unauthorized access.
Hundreds of candidates were already gathering at the main gates, many accompanied by family members or sect representatives sponsoring their entry. The examination wouldn't begin for two more weeks, but smart candidates arrived early to acclimate to the dense spiritual energy and observe the competition.
As Axel and Wei Chen approached the gathering crowd, the pulse in Axel's dantian intensified. The ambient Qi here was so concentrated that simply breathing was like cultivation—energy flooded into him with every inhale, pressing against the threshold he'd been carefully maintaining.
He would need to find a secluded place soon, somewhere he could safely undergo the breakthrough to Stage 4 Foundation Establishment without attracting unwanted attention. The spiritual pressure here was forcing the issue, making suppression increasingly difficult.
But first, they needed to register for the examination and secure temporary lodging within the sect's outer grounds.
As they joined the queue of candidates, Axel took a moment to appreciate how far he'd come. Two months ago, he'd been dying in a forest, confused and terrified, with no knowledge of this world or its rules. Now he stood at the gates of a major cultivation sect, ready to take the next step toward real power.
The journey ahead would be difficult. Wei Chen had made that clear—sect life was competitive, political, and often deadly. But it was also the path forward, the only way to transcend the limitations of self-taught cultivation and access the knowledge and resources needed to truly advance.
The pulse in his dantian beat strong and steady, a rhythm of power and potential. Soon he would undergo tribulation, break through to Foundation Establishment, and begin building the pillars that would support all his future cultivation.
But that was tomorrow's challenge. Today, Axel King simply stood at the gates of the Azure Sky Sect and allowed himself to feel something he hadn't felt in months.
Hope.
Not the desperate hope of survival, but genuine optimism about the future. He had an ally he trusted, a path forward he understood, and techniques that suggested he might actually have the talent to succeed in this brutal world.
The queue moved forward. Axel and Wei Chen stepped closer to the gates, closer to whatever future awaited them within.
And in his dantian, the pulse of life beat steady and strong, echoing the rhythm of possibility and potential.
The prologue of his cultivation journey was ending.
The real story was about to begin.